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Emile C. Tepperman at the Vintage Library

Emile C. Tepperman had quite an accomplished pulp writing career, but arguably his most remembered work has been the Purple Invasion Series for Operator 5. All told, Emile Tepperman penned issues number twenty-one through thirty-nine, including the thirteen Purple Invasion stories. Mr. Tepperman had quite a number of other pulp successes as well. His character Ed Race appeared regularly in the Spider Magazine. In fact, Mr. Tepperman penned eleven Spider novels, mostly during 1937. Plus, his Secret Agent X stories acted as a pre-cursor to his Operator 5 work. Mr. Tepperman also had a successful series in Ace G-Man featuring the Suicide Squad which might rival is Operator 5 fame.

Initially, Emile Tepperman continued with the single invasion per Operator 5 story. Slight changes became apparent with the new author. Discrepancies with plots and characters became legendary. Jimmy lost his composure at times and the characters showed emotions and character slips that made them sound more human. Some of the secondary characters dropped from the scene, and some of the well worn devices like the rapier belt were also no more.

Mr. Tepperman finally breaks out into a brand new direction for Operator 5 with the Purple Invasion. The furious action, the ongoing complexities of the series, and the new transformation of Jimmy Christopher into the leader of the resistance, is a major reason for the overall series still being popular today.

Personally, very little is know about Mr. Tepperman. His pulp career lasted from 1933 to the early 1940's. He then was credited for writing radio broadcasts for programs such as Suspense and Gang Busters. Other than that, his life remains a mystery.

Over time, we hope to develop a comprehensive bibliography for Mr. Tepperman's writing career. If anyone can help provide more information, please contact us.